Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-20
Russia and Poland.

Russia and Poland.
| An Odessa correspondent OF the
| London Nous writes ga subject
which no Russian will at present will
ingly discuss with foreigner is that
OF the probable attitude of the Poles in
Russo-Austrian struggle. The truth
is that the otherwise well-informed
Russian himself knows very little of
the bitter political discontent which of
late years has consolidated national
feeling in Poland. He knows, perhaps,
that under certain circumstances what
he contemptuously terms the blind poll
cy of the Poles might prove very dis
copcerting factor in central European
war, but he undertakes the power OF
| this factor Now / have had special
opportunities OF collecting and COM
pairing information on the subject from
the best and most authoritative sources,
and the result of my inquiries more
than confirms my previous convictions.
/ do not say that this widespread and
latent political discomfort in Poland is
suddenly manifesting itself under the
present threatening stu ltion in Europe.
It is the result of long growth, but dn-
ring recent years it has rapidly ripene1
under the repressive intolerance of Rus
sian policy with regard to the Poles.
Since the last abortive Polish in
surrection in 1868 Russian policy
and administration in Poland have
been marked by spirit of repres-
sion which, instead of growing lighter
with the pacifcation of the old kingdom,
has become more and more stringent.
1t was not enough to debar the Catho-
lie Poles from every branch of the civil
service, but two years ago the railways,
under Government pressure, dismissed
every Roman Catholic servant in their
employment. A Pole is no longer al
lowed to purchase landed estate even
in the outlying provinces Of POlhynia,
Kieff, Podolia, and Cherson nor dare
a Russian proprietor employ Polish
Roman Catholic. / may briefly give
one or two examples of the intolerant
religious oppression of this law which
will sufficiently indicate my meaning.
Some seven or eight months ago a
small peasant farmer in Podolia,
finding the tillage of his small
plot insufficient to support himself
and family, tramped to Odessa to find
more lucrative employment. The man
was picked up lying exhausted on the
roadside some distance from here by
the goodman of a gentleman with
whom am acquainted, and who found
the peasant permanent employment on
his estate at % rubles per month in
summer and 10 rubles in winter. The
man was sober industrious, and honest.
After consulting his employer he sold
out his miserable little plot in Podolia
and brought his wife and two children
to my friends estate. A few days sub
sequently Russian police officer put |
in an appearance, examined the pea
SAINTS passport, discovered he was a
Roman Catholic, and drove him only |
few days ago penniless into the streets |
of Odessa, at the same time a1monish-
ing the employer not to repeat the Of
fence OF employing a Roman Catholic. |
The wife of an eminent South Russian |
physician was the daughter of q Polish |
father and Greek mother. She had two |
brothers, and the three children were
reared in the orthodox faith, the daugh-
ter becoming Roman Catholic on her
marriage The paternal estate in Po-
land did not prosper in the hands OF |
the two sons, and the physicians wife
bought it, of course with her husbands |
money. That purchase the lawdeclares
null and void, and the estate is liable
to confscation. Under certain circum-
stances the Catholic Poles may success
fully petition the Government for
leave to become the proprietor of
an estate in the provinces / have
mentioned, but he must have the me-
diatory assistance of the provincial gov
ernor and other officials. BY what
means the assistance of this venal class
is enlisted 1t is not necessary for me to
say, but if the petitioner, after acqui-
ring his estate, employsa Catholic over
seer or other official, he is liable to
fine of 5000 rubles. For a second Of
fence the fine is trebled or quadr1lpled,
and lastly the estate becomes confis-
Gated to the Crown. 1t should be re-
membered that Polhynia is plrely
an old Polish province, and the
greater part Of Podolia and the
provinces of Kieff and Charson
were formerly under Polish
Catholic proprietary. Had Russia fol-
lowed the example of Austria in the
concilistory policy which has secured
for that Power the allegiance of the
Austrian Poles, she would have acted
wisely. Instead of this, however, she
has pursued a policy of evaporation
which has lost nothing of its re-
pressive severity in the hands of
her Russo-Polish administrators. The
Catholic Irishman is not more strongly
to his faith through every adj
versity than the Pole, and the imposi-
ton of the Russian religious disabilities
III Poland during recent years has been
a huge political blunder on the part of
the Imperial Government. The opin-
ions of every Polish notability with
whom / have spoken on this subject
are unanimous as TO the moral certainty
of the Russian Poles rising in favor Of
Austria whenever that Power finds
herself opposed in arms to Russia. If,
OF course, an Austro- Russian war should
find Germany engaged with France,
the attitude of the Poles would become
q still more serious matter for Russia"
.
H..